Garment hanger



Fb, 10, 1948. J. E. WHITMAN I 2,435,359.

I GARMENT HANGER Filed June 6, 1945 Envenfor John E. Whifmon Gttornegs Patented Feb. 1Q, 1948 'ATFES" PATENT -"OF?F"I"'C%E 254354159 "GARMENT HANGER Hahn; E.-Whitmah,"Bremerton, ash. apmication rlune s, 1945,*ser1a1'wmse'zi'z4a 'd-Glaims. 1

Ihe present inveri'tion'helates to m'sgarnrent hanger suitable for suplior tingtthe 'iuh per and 'lower portion'o'f a mafi worwomaris sui-t,

'-'=Whi1e the hanger of my ihventiomi Forfimayibe provided with 'the u'ppercurve'd bowfio'r re'ceiving a coat, :and v a lower horizontal mar over which a skirt oripai r 6f trousers may be liurigfin the usual waygthere are special. meme-provided, assooiated wlththe Fhorizontalvbar, for su'spending a skirt by the wai'st band dr =a pairdf trousers by thecuffyso that =in either vcasetheflower :g'arment mill rhang straight downwardly, iwithblltfibing'ibent about mud"hungoverftheibarrby its milldlemortion. The ilnvention :is primarily *rcon-cemed'iwith thermarrher in vsrhioh'mwo separate rand i-irfdependently shiftable garment reng'aging and suspending members may Ib'e snnportedmpon "an s-adjusted lengthwise of rtherbamandzimaylbe fheldiinopem tive nositiomas.thus adjustemiso that they will mot slide irrwardly or dsogetheqandrso thatrthey Milknot be separatedafrom ttherbar during rthesact of-engaging the garment withrorrdisengaging l-t iromthe garmentssuspendmgrmembers.

Ehe objects of the "invention having geneerally indicated above, rtheselobjeetsdand (others will appear more :cleaxzly-ias rtheidescriptioneprog- .resses.

Jr; the accompanying drawings the r invention f as been shown in a presently preferred =simp1e form, although it will be obvfou'sQwftlihetter-iunlderstandlng T the invention, how the various *i'orms may be modified without wdeparting from thespirit or the inventlon. Figure lfis aneleva'tion df thecompletehanger, showing how 'a *pleat'efi, skirt ;may'be.si1pported therefrom bythewai'stbalni Figure "2 is' a "cros =se'ction through the horizontal barof the hanger, showing the mann'er in 'vhiohzone of'th'e garment suspending members ooopera'tes'therewith. v 1

Figure "3' "is a transverse section, -'su"bstantially oathe line-$ 3 or figurezgthe'horizontal bar, In;W ev'erfbeingshbwr'lri' ir-r llam.

'Th'e garment hanger may "be made *frf any =suitzfihle material,-arid'wliil'e metal mayhe usel; lt m y also be madeof a plastic material, ema ls so lnlli'catefi. Its upper-portion "i-sor may be: of any -suitah1e-or usual shape and "cons'truot1on, inelud ing, for example, the upper bow-l ehapefito sup- Goat, and Z by "WI-1'icfh-"llh-e hal'lger as aiwholernay :be supportetr "from a saitablezbar or iik'e sup ort.

'p'r e hangericomprises"alsontheusual'zhorizontal izconne'cting thesouter "enil's of the bow lyrbut iin'staneetth'eizbarzs-eig-of aspecialfconstruet- :f-B "appear later, but'convefiiently both faces 'a're flat and tipright. l'he'materlal or which "the bar"ls constructed, =whether plastic or -metal or other suitable material, is sulflblently "resilient that 1 the lower edges of the flait facesmayapproach-one ure 2. When the fdl 'oe urging them together is removed; they willi'spririg mjtwardly. Preferably also, one suh fa 'c'e, at least, is formed with a series -of Spat:edweitical g rooves*-4,'or similar pattem =means, enfg'ageabIe with complemen'tal" pattern means on the filembers-now tobe'described.

'Two "members, designated in general by 'the numeral 5, are pfiovfdeH for use'with each*bar-3. The areof inverted U-shape'to straddle and de- 20 pend b'elow the han-arid have dimer: faces com- 'plemental to theiaces o'fithe bar, and of appreci'ab'le r extent' lngthwls'em "the-"barg-so -that each "member 5"wiIl bestable, and will not'tend'to roc'k -ither lengthwise 0f the ilar' or ltoTdtate about thebar. Each -subhnrember i i zprovided'with a. vertical ri-b "6 on an liiner face or with-other pat-- "tern means complemental to the pattern means orgroove 4ofthebar 3 Theinterengag'ement of the -rib 6 and'agroove further stabilizes the U shaped me'n iber 5,-2 a;nd prevents shlftingbfithe "member S lengthwise or thebairgWrticulafly when thereis a tendency to -pfin th'e ineIriber 5 inwardly as' the garment is'tretehedilnthe direction of the length-Ofthebar fl,---in attaching lt. it will :be evi- *be provided on th bar 3, ma -"the eomplem'ental grbove might bemed in the member 5.

Various iol-ms ofarrhent engaging and suserrdin meam mw ==-assoc1ated' with the mem- 0 bers 5panii I filo -hdtftleslre -to be restrlotedf in-thls respeetyineo mrmethe general featurs or the-h1- vention are concerned. However, one particular form of garment engag ifigfand Suspendmg' means *ls piflerame,anwtherhealhsforelrgaging'themem- #135 ber' S with and holding i-t to the' bar 3tis'particu- --1ar1y desirablao hecessary' tn conjunction with the garment si isoending means sho'wn. These ga'rm'ent suspending :means comprise an-eeccen- "uric dog or dist; ioumaletlat kmt Ithe. lower end "0T oneof thefle'gs of the Uflshhped member "5,the "peripher'y of which;ln'-tzertam qaosltions, :atleast, i's 'gravity-urged against the opposite leg Ina-of the member 5,"-t0 d08-$Ifd hold-afgannent, such =as"9, which has'b'een lnsertedbefiween them. Thegar- E rmen'tisinsertectby xmwmzmdvemmtor its edge,

for instance the waist band, between the dog I and the face ID at the lower end of the opposite leg of the member 5. The dog 1 yields to permit such nsertion, but falls back by gravity to grip the garment when the hold thereon i released. Its face may be roughened, for better gripping. A limit stop I I on the disc 'I may engage the member to prevent the disc I from falling back away from the face I0.

As is evident, the insertion of the garment into a garment gripping device such as has just been described, or the removal of a garment bar, a pair of inverted separable U-shaped members each having means to engage and suspend a garment, and of a size and shape to straddle and closely embrace said bar, and complemental 3, A garment hangerv including-a horizontal bar having" opposite fiat faces disposed in upright planes, a pair of inverted U-shaped memtherefrom, will produce some tendency to upward movement of the member 5, relative to the bar 3. To resist this movement I provide an inwardly directed locking dog l2, which may be at the lower end of the rib 6, or otherwise located, but so disposed that when the member 5 is properly seated upon the bar 3 the dog I2 will engage beneath the lower edge of a side face of the bar 3. It ispermitted thus to engage by the resilience of the faces of the bar, in a ,manner which is clear from inspection of Figure '2. The member 5 is preferably so formed and reinforced that it is but slightly resilient, although to make the member 5 resilient, instead of the bar 3, or to make both equally resilient, would be in effect a'mere reversal or extension of the form already described.

As a matter of fact, the member 5 has sufficient resilience that it tends to spread slightly when the dog 'I'is pressed tight, and this resilience assists in holding the dog in clamping position. The locking dog I 2- holds the member 5 when some appreciable upward force is employed to disengage suspended garments.

The two members 5 may be disengaged from and then adjusted lengthwise of the bar, the dog l2 being disengaged to permit their shifting by pressing inwardly upon the lower edges of the side faces of the bar 3. When they are adjusted to the correct spacing, they are pressed downwardly, relative to the bar, t engage the rib 6 with a groove 4 and to snap the dog I2 beneath the edge of the bar. Thus engaged they may not move relatively, lengthwise of the bar, about thebar, nor be cantedrelatively to the bar, nor can they be readily moved upwardly with respect to the bar; 7 Now the garment is engaged by inserting its edge, such as the waist band or the cuffs of a pair of trousers, upwardly between the disc I and face I0, engaging it thus with each of the suspending'members 5. When the disc I is turned inwardly against the garment and the opposite face ID, the garment is clamped in suspended position, and the hanger may be hung up, or a coat may be draped upon the upper bow l. Release of the thus suspended garment requires only that the garment be lifted slightly relative to the hanger as a whole, to rotate the clamping dogs 'I from their clamping position. I claim as my invention:

l. A garment hanger including a horizontal bar having at least one fiat side disposed in an upright plane, a pair of inverted U-shaped members each having means'to engage and suspend agarment, and of a size and shape to straddle said bar and tolie closely against the fiat side thereoil'to prevent rotation of the garment-engaging members about the bar, and means interengageable between the bar and each of said members to .positively l retain said members against sliding lengthwise of. said bar. I f2; A garment hanger including a horizontal bers each having means to engage and support a garment, and having fiat inner faces generally complemental to those of the bar, which said members straddle, the bar and said U-shaped members being relatively yieldable, transversely of the bar, toincrease the relative gripping effect when the U-shaped members are seated upon the bar.

4.'A garment hanger including 'a horizontal bar having opposite flat faces disposed in upright planes, a pair of inverted U-shaped mem bers each having means to engage and support a garment, and having fiat inner faces generally complemental to those of the bar, which said members straddle, the bar and said U-shaped members being relatively yieldable, transversely of the bar, to increase the relative gripping effeet when the U-shaped members are seated upon the bar, and an inwardly, directed dog on each U-shaped member, positioned to snap under the lower edge of the bar, by the relative resilience of the member and bar, and thus to restrain relative vertical movement of the two.

5. A garment hanger including a horizontal bar having at least one ,flat, generally upright face, with vertical grooves spaced along such face, a pair of separable inverted U-shaped members each having means to engage and suspend a garment, of a size and shape to straddle and closely embrace said bar, and each having a flat face complemental to the bar's fiat face, a rib outstanding from such flat face of each member, complemental to the several groovesoi' the bar, and an inwardly directed dog upon each member, in position to engage beneath the lower edge of the bar when the member is snugly seated upon the bar, to resist upward disengagement of such member from the bar.

6. A garment hanger including a horizontal bar of inverted U-shaped section, and of somewhat resilient material, permitting limited approach of the opposite faces of the bar, a pair of separable members of inverted U-shape, having inner faces complemental to and adapted to seat ,upon the corresponding faces of the bar, means interengaged between the respective members and the bar, when thus seated at any one of a plurality of positions lengthwise of the bar, to prevent shifting of the members lengthwise of the bar, a dog inwardly directed from each member, and engageable beneath the bars lower edgev by the bar's resilience, when the member is seated upon the bar, to prevent movementof such member vertically relative to the bar and means carried by each member to engage .and suspend a' garment.

.mit limited approach of the lower edges ofthe two faces, a member of'appreciable width, and

of complemental U-shape, adapted to straddle said bar and to extend therebelow, an eccentric disc journaled in one leg of said member, below the bar, and rotatable into clamping engagement with the opposite leg, when a garment has been received therebetween by upward entering movement of the garment, and an inwardly directed dog on said member, positioned to engage beneath the lower edge of one face of the bar by reason of the latters resilience, and to prevent separation of said member from the bar by upward movement of the garment.

JOHN E. WHITMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number Number Denmark July 8, 1929 

